Women in Paleontology
Since the recognition of
fossils as remnants of once-living organisms by early polymaths such as
Leonardo da Vinci, paleontology has become the clearest window into the long
history of life on Earth.
During much of the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries, paleontology was primarily focused on the
discovery, naming, and description of fossil plants and animals. Early
discoveries of dinosaurs and other large extinct animals brought the field of
paleontology to the attention of the general public, and the fascination with
these strange creatures of the past has continued to grow. From that time
onward, paleontology has come to represent a unique field, providing deep-time
perspectives on the biological and geological processes of our planet.
Unfortunately, many have
thought of paleontology to be a field ruled by men- in the past, and in my
time, science was specifically hostile towards women. Even today, we can see
that this still hasn’t changed. The arc of history does not always bend toward
equality. From the classroom to the field, women are still trying to put a stop
to the attitude that paleontology is a boys’ club. A climate where women are alienated or
discriminated against, shouldn’t be taken as a given. It doesn’t have to be
this way and shouldn’t be this way.
The public image of
paleontologists as Indiana Jones-type characters doesn’t help any. Through
decades of science popularization, we’re left with the image of a
paleontologist as a scruffy white man in a cowboy hat. Paleontologists such as
Jack Horner and Bob Bakker have even served as the inspiration for characters
in the Jurassic Park movies, standing in as stereotypical paleos who represent
the entire field in the minds of the public.
Many projects have been
made against these types of discriminatory actions: one of them is the Bearded Lady Project. Quoted directly from the site: “The Bearded Lady Project is a
documentary film and photographic project celebrating the work of female
paleontologists and highlighting the challenges and obstacles they face.”
“The Bearded Lady Project: Challenging the
Face of Science’s mission is twofold.
First, to celebrate the inspirational and adventurous women who choose
to dedicate their lives in the search of clues to the history of life on earth.
And second, to educate the public on the inequities and prejudices that exist
in the field of science, with special emphasis on the geosciences.”
“In 2014 Dr. Ellen Currano
and Lexi Jamieson Marsh met for dinner. Both were frustrated with the way they
were treated within their professions; both women working in a traditionally
male dominated fields. To lighten the mood, Ellen suggested putting a fake beard
on her face as a way to “finally be able to do her job” and fit the mould. To
her surprise, Lexi took that suggestion seriously and ran with it. The next
morning, the two joined forces, collaborating art and science to begin The
Bearded Lady Project: Challenging the Face of Science.”
This Project not only
encourages women to do what they want and follow their own dream, and not
society’s, but also shows how familiar men look in this field as opposed to
women: is it really not more common to see men with bushy beards working in
these sites, rather than women who are just as skilled at their work?
Discrimination against women paleontologists
is a reality both in media and real life, and after such a long time, changes
should have been made. Women and activists have been chipping away at this
problem for a long, long time already; but how much more of this can we
tolerate?
Yorumlar
Yorum Gönder